Difference between revisions of "Open Government Data Conference – Brisbane"

Date: Friday, 23 September 2011, 8.30am – 5.00pm

Venue: Queensland University of Technology (QUT), Gardens Point Campus, Gibson Room, Z Block, Level 10

Invited speakers: Dr Graham Vickery (formerly of OECD), Claire Driscoll (Director, Technology Transfer Office, National Human Genome Research Institute, National Institutes of Health (NIH)),Dr Andrew Stott (formerly Director of Digital Engagement with UK Government), Dr Terry Cutler (Cutler & Co), Professor Anne Fitzgerald (Queensland University of Technology), Neale Hooper (Queensland Government), Professor Brian Fitzgerald (Creative Commons Australia/QUT Law Faculty), Richard Best (New Zealand Department of Internal Affairs – NZGOAL), Keitha Booth (LINZ – Land Information New Zealand), Chris Corbin (UK Corbin Consultancy).

For governments worldwide the issue of Open Government data is a topic of current strategic interest. From emergency and natural disaster response management through health, education and the environment, to the development of new-data driven services and technologies, it it critically important to be able to obtain access to publicly funded data, in reusable formats. The advantages of improved information flows are numerous, including informed policy development, better decision making, more transparent and participatory democratic processes, and enhanced research and cultural activity. Likewise, the Queensland Government endorsed the Government Information Licensing Framework (GILF) as central to its Right to Information strategy, requiring the application of the CC BY licence (as the licence of first choice) to government copyright materials (cleared for public release) to ensure they remain openly available for reuse.

The Declaration of Open Government (July 2010) reaffirmed the Australian Government’s commitment to the objective of ensuring “open government based on a culture of engagement, built on better access to and use of government held information, and sustained by the innovative use of technology”. This commitment to open government is supported by the Intellectual Policy Principles which require Australian Government agencies to distribute their copyright materials under the Creative Commons Australia Attribution (CC BY) licence as the default, to ensure that informational works and data assets are available for access and re-use without restrictions.

This seminar is designed to showcase the leaders in this area from Australia and internationally. They will explain the background, history and rationale for Open Government Data both at a conceptual and practical level. They will highlight real life examples which can make it easier to understand why this topic is now seen by most policy makers as integral to government practice.

The event is free of charge and numbers are strictly limited. We would like to encourage people from all sectors of the community to attend.